Paralegal Specialist

Join the fast-paced federal litigation practitioners of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Office of the Principal Legal Advisor Enforcement and Litigation Division and leverage your legal experience to protect the homeland. These positions are located in the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA) Enforcement and Litigation in Los Angeles, CA and Washington, D.C. This is a non-bargaining unit position.

DHS offers competitive salaries and an attractive benefits package, including: health, dental, vision, life, and long-term care insurance; retirement plan;
Thrift Savings Plan;
Flexible Spending Account;
Employee Assistance Program; personal leave days; and paid federal holidays. Other benefits may include: flexible work schedules; telework; tuition reimbursement; transportation subsidies; uniform allowance; health and wellness programs; and fitness centers. DHS is committed to employee development and offers a variety of employee training and developmental opportunities. For more information, go to the DHS Careers website and select "Benefits." Disabled veteran leave will be available to any Federal employee hired on or after November 5, 2016, who is a veteran with a service-connected disability rating of 30 percent or more.

A student loan repayment incentive may be available, in which case a service agreement will be required.

Limit your resume to 2 pages. If more than 2 pages are submitted, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Qualification claims will be subject to verification.

Experience:

At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level in the Federal service that included experience such as:

• Conducting research to assist with identifying factual and legal issues;
• Extracting data from manuals, directives, court reports, appellate records, or legal publications;
• Assisting with reviewing cases to determine the need for additional data from claimants, officials, or attorneys.

OR

Education: One full year of graduate level education in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position.

OR

Superior Academic Achievement: Successful completion of all the requirements for a bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement. In order to be creditable under this provision, Superior Academic Achievement must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled. Superior Academic Achievement is based on: (1) Class Standing - Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses;

or (2) Grade-Point Average (G.P.A.) - Applicants must have a grade-point average of either (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on your official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or (b) 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum;

or (3) Honor Society Membership - Applicants may be considered eligible based on membership in one of the approved national scholastic honor societies listed by the Association of College Honor Societies.

OR

Combination of

Education and Experience:

A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) by 18. Add the two percentages.

Experience:

At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal service that included experience such as:

• Conducting research to identify and analyze factual and legal issues and relevant evidence to prepare for cases;
• Extracting and analyzing data from manuals, directives, court reports, appellate records, or legal publications;
• Preparing drafts of briefs, other litigation papers, or reports outlining case precedents.

OR

Education: Master’s or equivalent…